Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Taking Action (The Posterior View)

I don't know how to write this post without sounding like a total cheesemeister, but I'm going to make my best effort. Feel free to gag a little bit if I get too sappy. But don't stop reading...

I spend lot of time just sitting around on my ass.

Sure, there's a lot (a LOT) of time spent running around after WonderBaby. There's also a fair amount of time spent pushing her around in a stroller or carting her about in a carrier or - more frequently, now - hovering a step or two behind her in the park while she toddles toward the slide that has the bad manners to beg that she climb it. And then, too, there's the couple of hours each week that I spend standing behind a lectern or pacing back and forth in front of that lectern, and the time spent walking to and from the subway to get to that lectern. And the time spend going up and down the stairs in my house with a baby or basket of laundry in my arms.

So, okay, maybe I don't actually spend all that much time on my ass. But I'd like to.

If I could have my way, I'd spend a lot more time on my ass. A lot more time with books and paper and pens and my laptop, of course. (Ideally, that time would come from the alleviation of laundry duty, and the addition of eight hours to the twenty-four clock.)

Reading and writing and reflecting. I could devote infinite amounts of time to it, and I would love every minute of that time. On my ass.

When you love anything that much, you worry that you might get lost in it. I love WonderBaby that much. I love my husband that much. I love these so much that sometimes the desire to just totally retreat, escape, into these things is visceral. I can feel that desire squeezing my heart, I can taste its sweet tang in my mouth.

(A cabin! The woods! Long days and nights curled up with Husband and baby and books and laptop!)

(In this dream, wireless access is everywhere!)

Escape, away from the real world of real activity. Away from mess and pain and politics and noise and stress and Bad Things.

But I can't do that. We can't do that. In part, because it is simply impossible: life follows you wherever you go. You can't escape mess and stress and politics and pain simply by turning your back on them. You can't escape them, period.

And, we can't escape them because in escaping them we would lose our humanity. The challenges of life shape us, obviously. Any Hallmark Card or Learning-Annex-Deepak-Chopra-wannabe will tell you that. But what makes us really human is facing challenges together, and taking on challenges for each other. What really makes us human is acting as members of a community. Building community. Protecting community. Taking responsibility for community.

These past two weeks, as the 'Call to Action' posts have rolled in, I've seen so much humanity. I see it all the time, of course, out here in our corner of the blogosphere, where we write again and again and again our love for our families. But these posts, they showed me so much more. You're all so much more than mothers, fathers, parents, friends. You are all so human, in the best possible sense.

(I know, I know... getting SAPPIER.)

(Did I mention my ass, and how I sit on it, yet?)

Here's what we do, what we can do, how we can and do exercise our humanity, even from the comfort of the perch of our butts...

Changing the World, One Blog at a Time

(Please. Do go visit these. I tried to organize them all by issue, but it was just too difficult and this post just never would have gone up if I'd kept at it. So you need to wade through the list, but please take a stab at it. Every single one of these posts is an inspiration.)

(Yes. You MUST KEEP READING. To the very bottom of this post, and then back up through the links. Yes, it will make you dizzy. But you will be a better person for it.)

If I've missed anyone, please let me know, and accept my apologies. And, if you're late to the party and inspired to write a post of your own, don't hesitate to send in a link - I'll keep adding links in as I receive them.

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Another issue that we should all get behind: it seems that in some of the United States (some 28 of them), it is perfectly legal to question potential employees about their family status (married? with children?) This practice facilitates discrimination against against mothers and, especially, single mothers and sets us back, like, centuries. You may have read about it over at Amalah's Daily Dose yesterday; you can read more about it HERE. MomsRising is currently organizing a petition to promote the passage of legislation that would make this illegal. Please, go sign this petition.

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Phew. Tired now. Am done doing my part to make the world a better place today. Off to bed...

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EDIT

... or not. A Bad Mother's work is never done. Keep checking the links above, as broken links have been fixed and many new links have been added and are still being added. Keep sending, and I'll keep adding the links, and eventually the list will end up on my sidebar.

And while you're thinking about all these posts and how should you maybe write one, too, or write another one, check out my profile of another action post over at UrbanMommy.

50 Comments:

Hey HBM,Sorry to say it but you missed me. I think I put my link in a comment on the wrong post. Sorry. Here it is again: http://madhattermommy.blogspot.com/2006/09/it-is-what-it-is.htmlThanks for doing this and for continuing to build community.

Hey HBM,Sorry to say it but you missed me. I think I put my link in a comment on the wrong post. Sorry. Here it is again: http://madhattermommy.blogspot.com/2006/09/it-is-what-it-is.htmlThanks for doing this and for continuing to build community.

Hey, Catherine! Have I told you lately how much I love you? Seriously! Aside from the fact that the only thing keeping me from spending my life in a Barnes & Noble is the love of my family, I really love this latest blog project of yours. I love seeing people being passionate about a cause in their life. If anything, I've always believed that the world NEEDS more passion. I don't care what their cause is. Just have one! What you're doing is wonderful and I stand here in adrmiration of what you've helped foster.

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Great job sweetie! It's wonderful that you are putting these out there and I plan to visit every single one of these today.

The motherless link is

www.themotherless.com

And I'm actually working on a 3rd, so I hope it's okay I add it here:

http://tinyurl.com/g2mql

It's about the gov't housing project I walk through every morning to take Thomas to pre-school. It will be a photography exhibit to raise awareness about poverty and families. It might take a year, but I'm going to do it.

Thank you, HBM. I am enjoying working my way through these links. I didn't participate because the issue I most want to address I don't know of the organization who might work on it. Besides college. I want all of us, Americans especially because we can be so insular, to get up to speed on international news. I'm amazed at the number of people I meet who never read the newspaper or skip articles about foreign countries that aren't on their wish list to visit. If world peace is ever going to become a reality, we ALL need to know about the world. Sorry, off my soapbox on your site. Sheesh, what a bad guest.

Loved this - loved all the posts. I didn't write one because I thought I didn't have something I was passionate enough about. And, then I read everyone's and realized that I didn't exactly have to be leading the crusade in order to have an issue.I've gotta say - there was a ton of inspiration in these posts. There were some things I wish I knew more about (and will research).Great assignment - and great reading.

Please take a moment to sign this on-line petition which calls for the declaration of February 7th as “Safer Internet Day”. We hope the Canadian Parliament will make this declaration and dedicate that day’s government business to finding ways to make the internet safer for kids.

Hi there!Kara (capebuffalo.blogspot.com) and Arwen (spicyelf.blogspot.com) are running a half marathon to raise $ for Leukemia and Lymphoma research. Read about our training and other adventures at our joint venture teammimi.blogspot.com.